University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki welcomes exchange students from partner universities all around the world. Last month, we had the pleasure of meeting two exchange student applicants for 2013-14 at their home university, the University of Hong Kong.
We asked the applicants what they wanted to know more about, and the answer was very clear, “the Learning Agreement”. “How should one select courses for the Learning Agreement?” “What does a course number mean?”
We have gathered the answers to these questions here for all exchange student applicants, in case you are thinking about the same questions.
What is a Learning Agreement?
The Learning Agreement is a preliminary list of courses, which you are planning to take at UH during your exchange. Quite often, it is based on the ongoing study year’s course lists, so it is not a definite list of courses which you will taking during your exchange.
The reason for submitting a Learning Agreement is to make sure that there are suitable courses taught in your field(s) of study, and that the credits from those courses can be transferred towards the degree you are studying for at your home university. Your home university needs to approve the Learning agreement because of this.
Exchange students are expected to complete about 30 credits (=30 ECTS credits) in a semester. You can find more detailed instructions here: http://www.helsinki.fi/exchange/studies.html
The Learning Agreement is an obligatory step of the online application. You fill in the course names on Mobility Online and then print the form.
How to select courses?
UH’s Courses in English database includes courses of various levels.
Some courses require previous studies in the discipline in question. The following terminology will help you determine if the courses are suitable for you:
- Basic studies courses (or “perusopinnot” in Finnish): Bachelor’s level courses, do not usually require previous studies from the student
- Subject studies or Intermediate studies (or “aineopinnot” in Finnish): Bachelor’s level courses, intermediate level, require some previous studies from the student, mainly for 2nd or 3rd year students of the subject
- Advanced studies (or “syventävät opinnot” in Finnish): Master’s level courses, for students who have completed a Bachelor’s degree or have the same level
Please remember that depending on the course level, disciplines have the right to decide whether you have enough previous studies to participate!
What does a course number mean in the Learning Agreement?
Each course has a code, a course name, such as 20845 for the courses titled Why and how to compare laws in the global world. The credits for that course are 6 ECTS.
If your home university does not have a system of course numbers, you can leave the course number at home university empty in the Learning Agreement which you are making as a part of your Mobility Online application.
How to navigate WebOodi?
UH’s Courses in English database has links to the 11 Faculties’ courses at UH. Some of the Faculties have listed the courses on WebOodi. For example, for the Faculty of Arts, the courses are listed here. Please choose the right year (if possible), then select “teaching”, then the semester, and then the right level, e.g. basic, intermediate or advanced. See the info above on this blog post to see what these terms mean.
This is the best way to find suitable courses on your own level. Using the search engine on the left gives you more limited answers, e.g. it looks for courses with the course name only, so it’s better to navigate to the appropriate discipline and the appropriate level instead.
Always use UH’s Courses in English database as the starting point of looking for courses. That way you will find the right information provided by your own Faculty.
Are there restrictions?
Disciplines such as English philology and some other foreign languages, Economics, Psychology, Communication, Political Science, Law, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine have restrictions regarding acceptance both for local and exchange students. They only accept students who are majoring in the subject in question and have completed enough courses in the discipline in their home university prior to arrival.
Can I study Finnish or Swedish?
Finnish and Swedish as a foreign language courses are open to all incoming students. Finnish as a foreign language courses can be found here and Swedish as a foreign language courses, along with other language courses, can be found here.
Questions about courses?
Contact the departmental coordinators listed here.
When will I hear about the results?
The deadline for applications for autumn 2013 and full study year 2013-14 is 15 May. You’ll get e-mails throughout the process, explaining which step your application is in. Please note that during the time when applications are processed, it is not possible to answer individual questions concerning the status of your application.
Your application first goes to UH’s International Exchange Services, where the staff checks that your application is complete. Then it is sent to the appropriate Faculty for their consideration. You’ll hear the results via e-mail by the end of June.
We are looking forward to meeting you soon in Helsinki!
Raisa from the International Exchange Services